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Enku Gelaye Named Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Campus Life at UMass Amherst

AMHERST, Mass. – Following a national search, Enku Gelaye has been appointed vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy announced today.

Said Chancellor Subbaswamy of the appointment, “I know that Vice Chancellor Gelaye will bring the highest levels of integrity, energy, and vision to the position and I look forward to working with her on issues of importance to both our students and the entire campus. We are fortunate to have her as part of the campus leadership team.”

Gelaye has held the post of associate vice chancellor and dean of students since 2011, and has been interim vice chancellor for the past year.

In her role as interim vice chancellor, Vice Chancellor Gelaye led a division-wide organizational review and restructuring process, focused on aligning service areas with commitment to student success, efficient use of resources, shared governance and collaboration. She has also collaborated with academic affairs and the Joint Task Force on Strategic Oversight to assess the undergraduate student experience, and has been instrumental in developing shared structures and approaches focused on enhancing the student experience.

Over the past two years, she has overseen development and implementation of UMatter at UMass, a comprehensive campus-wide,community-building initiative that promotes a climate of responsibility to prevent sexual assault, misuse of alcohol and other drugs, bias-related activities, bullying, hazing, harassment and violence, and depression and suicide.

Gelaye looks forward to building on these recent efforts. “I believe deeply in the work of student affairs and campus life, in our collective values and in the students who call this university and Amherst their home. I welcome the opportunity to work collaboratively to ensure UMass Amherst continues to realize its vision as the premier student-success centered public university in the country,” she said.

Gelaye joined UMass Amherst in April 2011, coming from the University of California, Los Angeles, where she served as executive officer for the vice chancellor for student affairs. Prior to joining UCLA in 2004, she served as interim director of student judicial affairs and community standards at the University of Southern California. Gelaye has a J.D. from the University of Georgia and a B.S. from the University of Tennessee.